Stay on target

Most pipes are made of glass or other fragile material — weirdly, I accidentally stepped on one my cat knocked over just a couple days ago and bled… well, a lot. If your pipe has ever shattered or chipped or whatever, you know my pain (metaphorically, of course, unless you’ve also had an inch-long shard of glass lodged in your soul). Already known for their icy bongs and pipes, manufacturer Eyce (we all see what you did there), wanted to offer a potential solution — silicone-based smoke-ables.

Silicone, widely used in everything from cookie sheets to sex toys offers a smooth, flexible and durable frame that you can fold or deform in any way you choose. That’s particularly ideal for replacing more fragile or brittle material, like glass. Silicone will never shatter, for example, and, it’s surprisingly heat-resistant (cookie sheets can sit in the over, after all, for hours).

In the hopes of bringing squishy pipes to the masses, Eyce has launched their first line of silicone rigs and pipes. Not one for subtlety, Eyce’s near gear comes in weird colors and patterns, like fluorescent pink camouflage and other multi-colored swirls. On store shelves, they come packed into small boxes, and arranged like toys in the children’s aisle at your local supermarket. And the company’s tagline is even more gauche: “durability that rips.”

Crass though all that may be, if you can get beyond it, there’s some profoundly compelling stuff here. Because everything’s made of silicone, which is usually crafted from a mold, like plastic, Eyce can make their gear into unusual shapes. That means that while the basic pipe is a little on the spendy side (as far as mid-range products go, anyway), it’s also got some nifty features. It’s got an ergonomic grip which is rare to find with comparable glass designs as well as a chamber on the underside for storing extra material. The rigs, used for concentrates and the like, also include slots for tools and accessories, in addition to a storage compartment.

The whole line is pretty impressive if you’re into this type of thing, but there’s one piece that definitely stands out — the Eyce Mold 2.0. Eyce’s first product was a unique take on the classic water pipe. The idea behind it was that if you would make the pipe itself out of ice, then each toke would be super-chilled for smoothness. Obviously, that presents a bit of a problem because ice is cold to the touch and… y’know melts, limiting usability for people. Eyce dodges the issue partly with size, and partly by providing an array of simple attachments, so your hands don’t typically come in direct contact with the ice.

After you fill the mold with water and let it freeze overnight, it’s large enough that it takes time to melt by any appreciable amount. The thinking goes, then, that you can just toss it back into the freezer when done and it’ll get cool again so you can use it as many times as you like.

In practice, though, there’s some definite hiccup here. For starters, much of the pipe itself (i.e. the ice) is still exposed, meaning that you’ll probably get a little chilly at some point. And while the pipe doesn’t melt much during typical use, it’s still ice. This isn’t a good idea for couch smokers or those who like their smoking to be a bit more relaxed. That said, the result is remarkably smooth and definitely worth the trouble.

It’d be best not to think of Eyce’s line as being clearly superior versions to old favorites. Each of them has a few small problems. The bowl on the spoon has an opening that’s a bit too wide, for example, making it easy for material to fall into the airway. But, they are great options if you can deal with the wonky colors (I like minimalism, so neon camo definitely isn’t my jam) and value portability, durability, or convenience. Unless you’re using the Eyce Mold, in which case your main advantages are the smoking experience itself, and ease of cleaning over traditional water pipes.